sophie straat

Music can offer solace, but it can also be abrasive. Sometimes it serves as an outlet, sometimes as a mirror—and increasingly, as a form of resistance. What happens when listening turns into active participation? This year, Sophie Straat serves as guest curator for Brainwash Festival.
You might know her as performer with a passion for justice, organizer of activist festival Protestfest, or perhaps from her anthem Vrijheid, Gelijkheid, Zusterschap (Liberty, Equality, Sisterhood).

Wherever she performs, Sophie disrupts, connects, and moves her audience. Her music fades the line between punk and poetry, vulnerability and rage—offering a critique of the system that is nonetheless catchy enough to sing along to.

For Brainwash, Sophie Straat is curating part of the festival program. Expect a glimpse into her mindset, little to no bullshit, new narratives, and—above all—a complete upending of the things we think we know for sure.

Sophie Straat graduated from the Royal Academy of Art with the EP ’t Is niet mijn schuld (It’s Not My Fault), which earned her an Edison Award and marked the start of her career as an artist. On her latest album, Wie de fak is Sophie Straat (Who the F* Is Sophie Straat), her search for identity merges with systemic critique, drawing on influences ranging from punk and breakbeat to a touch of bossa nova. Sophie Straat has performed at Lowlands, Best Kept Secret, Pukkelpop, and Into the Great Wide Open, and has collaborated with artists including Goldband, Wende, Ploegendienst, and Meetsysteem.